I would like to welcome you to NailPhanatic.
With the start of 2011 NailPhanatic has got a new look.

The reason i made this Site and Forum is because i felt that when i was looking for good and useful information about Nail Art and Nail Care, everything was so scattered all over the internet that it was hard to keep track of. So i wanted to make a place to unite everyone with the same passion and hobby, and to collect the most info and knowledge at one spot.

Interactive Forum:
Keep in touch with other Nail Art enthusiasts all over the world. Expand and archive of messages, that can help others, by simply posting your question or answer.

Article Database:
A growing database of articles about anything related to Nail Care and Nail Art. Written by not only NailPhanatic, but members as well. If you wish to submit an article, please go to the "Article Submit Area" on the forums.

I hope to see you soon.

Take care and have a nice day.

New to Nail Art? So many questions, so many tools and such a big world of Nail Art.
Don't worry, i'll do my very best to make you feel more at home in the big world of Nail Art.

Nail Art is done on all kind of nails, from your own natural ones to artificial acrylic or gel nails.

You have hand painted designs, done with nail polish or acrylic paints. These are flat and follow the curve of the nails, like the canvas of a painting. On the other hand you have 3D nail art. In this case you have for example flowers or other shapes sticking out on your nails.
This can be done with simple 3D stickers, but can also be handmade using acrylic or gel.

Lets start easy and stick to the painted nail art. There are a few stuff that you want to start with.
Here's a list:

Clear Base Coat Polish
This is to protect your own natural nail. For example, darker colored nail polish can stain your natural nail. If this does happen, don't worry it will grow out and your nails will be as good as new.

Nail Polish
Any normal nail polish can be used. This is going to be your background color, unless you want to keep you background clear and show your natural nail. This is your own choice.

Nail Art Striper Polishes
These are polishes that have thin brushes that allow you to do detailed designs. Striper polishes are handy and easy to start with because you have the polish and a thin brush all in one. Some brands are: LA Colors Art Deco, FlexBrush or Striper Rite. There are a lot and lot more than the ones i mentioned here.
If you want to know which brands there are and where to purchase them, please navigate to the "Striper Polishes" in the Menu on the left.

Optional:
There is an alternative to Stripers. Instead of using striper polishes you can use nail art Brushes. Ofcourse you will have to use your normal nail polish or acrylic paints (putting a small blob on a piece of paper or small dish).

To finalize your design you can use decoration like rhinestones, fimo, glitter or other stuff. All that kind of decorations you can find in the menu on the left.

Clear Top Coat Polish
You want to keep your design save and have it stay on your nails for a bit longer. That's where the topcoat comes in, plus it adds a very nice shine to your design which makes it look that much nicer.

OPI: Serena Grand Slam
OPI announces their release of Shatter polishes. They promise to be in stores by the end of january. They seem to only have a black shatter polish, however this is certainly going to be added to my collection ... I Can't Wait!!

China Glaze: Crackle Glaze
While we are on the subject of shatter polishes. China Glaze has their own collection of Crackle, as they call it, polishes. They seem to have a wider range of colors so that makes me even more excited. For this collection it is also said that it will be in stores in january, but there has not been a confirmation.